Race in the Arab World

First off, just want to say that I finished my ISP, I mean I still have to tweak it, etc. But I'm pretty sure it's all khalas (finished).

Now, something that I've found very interesting here is the idea of race here. I never realized this, but Arabs view themselves as Caucasian. If you look at any form in the US where you mark your race, there isn't a separate box for Arab and I can assure you they should not be considered Asian. It just throws me off a little bit that they consider themselves Caucasian, there is even cream available for women that if applied daily, will make their skin more pale. Everyone in the states is trying to get tan, everyone here's trying to get a little whiter, good stuff. Many Jordanian views of African-Americans are pretty ridiculous too. Many believe that crime in the states is due solely to African-Americans, which makes the fact that our President is African-American just hilarious to some of them. A friend of mine was in a cab where the taxi driver literally laughed the entire trip about our African-American President and how that seemed like a bad idea. The funniest part about this for me is that they love Obama, they think he can do a lot of good for this part of the world, it's just his racial background that confuses many Jordanians. I have a lot more ridiculous stories about taxi drivers, I don't think I could fit them all onto this blog so when I get back to the states, I'll make sure to tell some of you folks about them.